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Zardogey
Zardogu, officially the Grand Duchy of Zardogu (''Zard. ''Grömsdeikauf ou Zardge), is a nation in Northeastern Enshelm, situated East of Ruhreg, West of Volghevsky, and North of Cordeau. Zardogu operates as a federal semi-presidential and representative democracy under a constitutional monarchy, and is comprised of fourteen Federal States (''Zard. ''Fordestådze), with varying degrees of autonomy. With a population of almost 140 million, and an area of over 900,000 square kilometres, the country is the second-largest population wise, and the third largest area wise in Enshelm. Zardogu's climate differs among regions, but is generally temperate and seasonal climate, with the northernmost states of Hejbeurgståd and Jørgsten experiencing more severe winters and the Southwestern states of Lower Hœldreg and Schweizeg-Fahnholm experiencing warmer summers. Zardogu is predominately ethnically Zardigen, which, in modern times, has become an umbrella ethnicity, with Zardigens living in the West being 'Rohren-descended' with more cultural similarities to the former Rohren kingdoms and modern day Ruhreg, and Zardigens living in the East being 'Volgey-descended', sharing more cultural similarities with historical Volgey tribes as well as the Volghev Confederation. History The origin of the nation began with the Principality of Velhus, founded by proto-Zardic tribes who descended from the Rohrens, in 790 A.D. By 919 A.D, the town of Velhus and surrounding settlements had been captured by the Kingdom of Rohrenau (now Ruhreg) and eventually renamed to Welshaven in 1014. The state was granted autonomy, and fought alongside Ruhreg soldiers to conquer neighboring Volgey tribes for Rohrenau. The Rohren province of Welshaven, now the Zardigen states of Jószeim & Margaretrüm, Lower Hœldreg, and Schweizeg-Fahnholm, was comprised of several Zardic tribes which eventually amalgamated under Rohren rule into what historians regard as the beginning of the Zardigens. During Rohren rule, the Zardigens developed a distinctive culture, with considerable influence from Rohren culture. However, the early Zardigens also adopted many customs from neighboring Volgey tribes, who were also under Rohren rule, and served as the primary trading partners with the Zardigens for several centuries even after the end of Rohren rule. In 1176, Willelm the Valiant (born in Rohrenau in 1145), led a liberation movement to end Rohren rule. After several years of war between the Kingdom of Rohrenau and Willelm's army, Welshaven was granted sovereignty in 1183 under the Treaty of Geweig, and Willelm replaced the Rohren Archduke of Welshaven and declared himself the first Grand Archduke of Zardogu. House of Kåmphaus-Eldegaard (1183-1448) The House of Kåmphaus-Eldegaard was founded after Willelm the Defender, also known as Willelm II, made an agreement with the Chieftain Hrogfar of the Helgens, a Jørgein tribe. The agreement guaranteed protection by the Helgens, who were notoriously skilled warriors who had repelled numerous Rohren invasions beginning in ~720 A.D, in exchange for Willelm marrying Hrogfar's daughter, forming the House of Kåmphaus-Eldegaard. For around one hundred and fifty years, the territory of Zardogu remained stagnant, constituting the modern states of Schweizeg-Fahnholm, Lower Hœldreg, Jószeim & Margaretrüm, Neumansfarg, and the southern half of Upper Hœldreg. In 1353, however, under Grand Archduke Erik I, Zardogu began conquering Volgey tribes to the East such as the Grigors and the Kosckivs, who had long been informal allies, after they had gained independence form the now dwindling Kingdom of Rohrenau, as well as former Rohren territories. By 1400, Zardigen territory consisted of the modern states of Neu Mattenheis, Voloskie-Korzakholm, and most of Ustfalden, as well as Eld Mattehheis and some of Hejbeurgståd, which formerly belonged to Rohrenau. The House of Kåmphaus-Eldegaard was ethnically Rohren-Zardigen. By 1430, however, a large percentage of Zardogu's population was ethnically Volgey-Zardigen, owing to the newly acquired territories formerly belonging to Volgey tribes and petty kingdoms, who were woefully underrepresented in Zardigen culture and government. Many Zardigens, especially the Volgeys, were dissatisfied with the Rohren-Zardigen monarchy as well as the feudal system of governance. House of Korzakov (1448-1472) Jószef Korzakov (born 1398), an ethnic Volgey statesman and former captain in the Zardigen military from Fredefarg (now Karlonieg). Beginning in 1434, he assembled a militia comprised of Volgey peasant farmers and merchants from the Eastern region of Ost-Willelmshauf (now Neu Mattenheis), as well as lower ranking members of the military, who were predominately ethnically Volgey . Over the next decade, Korzakov's militia became infamous for openly revolting in the public squares of Fredefarg and the national capital of Veldefarg, as well as raiding warehouses and sabotaging food supplies across the region, causing growing tension between the ethnic Volgey lower class and the Rohren-Zardigen ruling class. In 1445, Grand Archduke Karl-Matthias II appointed General Siegfreid Raubauch as regional governor of Ost-Willelmshauf, and ordered the military to enforce martial law in Fredefarg, and began seizing farms of ethnic Volgey farmers and imprisoning dissidents. This began a period of unrest across the nation, but was concentrated in the province of Ost-Willelmshauf. The unrest reached its pinnacle in July of 1447 with the Andreypiy Massacre in the Andreypiy suburb of Fredefarg, where members of the Zardigen Royal Guard fired upon and killed 78 and wounded 25 Volgey protestors in Jakubwiscz Square, which was believed to be ordered by General Raubauch himself. Two weeks after the massacre, Korzakov's militia began capturing the city of Fredefarg, culminating in the residence of General Raubauch being burned down by Korzakov's militia in late October. Afterwards, Korzakov's militia began capturing the capital city of Veldefarg beginning in early 1448. From January 25th to March 19th, 1448, Jószef's army successfully captured the capital of Veldefarg, surrounding the (?) Palace, the residence of the Grand Archduke. Karl-Matthias II surrendered to Korzakov's army, and was later executed on July 9th, with the House of Kåmphaus-Eldegaard being granted asylum in Rohrenau. Korzakov ascended to the throne as Jòszef I, founding the illegitimate House of Korzakov and beginning the First Zardigen Reign of Terror. First Reign of Terror From 1448 to 1472, Jószef founded the House of Korzakov and ruled as Jószef I, in what is regarded as the First Zardigen Reign of Terror due to the authoritarian form of governance and extensive persecution of 'Rohren-descended Zardigens', primarily former feudal lords, and attempted to radically alter the existing political systems to mimic those of the Volghev Confederation at the time. Rohren-descended Zardigens were not entitled to hold nobility during Jószef's reign, and were often not entitled to hold large swathes of land with few exceptions. Rohren-Zardigens were frequently denied protection under the law and oftentimes subject to harassment by soldiers. From 1456 - 1459, Zardogu fought in the Second Rohen-Zardigen War against the newly founded Rohen Empire, which ended with the Treaty of Danholz, ceding the majority of modern day Schweizeg-Fahnholm to the Rohen Empire in exchange for most of the territory of modern day Hejbeurgståd. House of Kåmphaus-Eldegaard & The Veldefarg Accords Following his assassination by members of the military loyal to the House of Kåmphaus-Eldegaard, Karl-Matthias III was crowned Grand Archduke in 1472, which saw the return of feudalism as well as persecution towards the ethnically Volgey noblemen and officers still loyal to Jószef I. Karl-Matthias III's grandson, Karl-Matthias IV, drafted the Veldefarg Accords in 1523, which essentially replaced feudal lords with the Chamber of Magnates (''Middle Zard. ''Kambuhr den Magenäat), comprised of regional Magnates, who were typically upper-middle and upper class men elected by taxpaying landowners who were ethnically Zardigen. The Chamber was divided between 80 seats belonging to Rohen-descended Zardigens, and 40 seats belonging to Volgev-descended Zardigens. Later, in 1556, the Accord was amended to include 20 seats for commoners. Prior to that, however, Margarete I ascended to the throne, and served as the first female monarch of Zardogu. She was the the daughter of Grand Archduke Benedikt II and Princess Marie-Alexandra of the Cortainien Kingdom, which caused uproar among both sides of the Chamber of Magnates. Her reign was characterized by constant opposition from the Chamber, especially in her attempts to reform it. Also opposed by the Chamber was her attempts to change the economic system of Zardogu to reflect the more newly industrialized economy of neighboring Cordeau, as well as a growing movement for republicanism in Zardogu. Because of this, she was assassinated by a radical republican group of members of the Chamber in 1568. House of Korzakov (1568-1573) Margarete I was heirless, leaving the throne unclaimed. The Grand Magnate of the Chamber, and great-grandson of Jószef I, gathered the support of other Magnates and ascended to the throne later that year as Jószef II, temporarily resorting the House of Korzakov. Jószef II is perhaps best remembered for his reforms to the Chamber to introduce a system of federalism to Zardogu. His reign soon ended when he abdicated in 1573 and restored the House of Kåmphaus-Eldegaard under III. However, opposition to the Chamber and the monarchy alike by different factions of commoners, as well as the military, most of whom supported the movement for republicanism, still remained. Second Reign of Terror Finally, in 1682, the Chamber was dissolved by Cristoffer I, and absolute monarchy returned. Later, in 1689, Cristoffer I died. Prior to his death, however, in 1687 he had appointed Vladomyr Pytrovech, a former Volghev general as the 'National Leader', who served as the ''de facto ''head-of-state during the last two years of Cristoffer's reign. After Cristoffer's death, Vladomyr gained the support of the Zardigen military to kill Cristoffer's heir, Frederik, before he was coronated, allowing Vladomyr to ascend to the throne as the 'Lord-Regent' in a period known as the Interregnum. The Interregnum began the Second Zardigen Reign of Terror, which was characterized by severe persecution of republicans, reformists, liberals, and nationalists. Vladomyr was most well-known for his affinity with the Volghev Confederation. Pytrovech opposed the ascension of Aleksandr VI to the throne of High King, and attempted to provoke a revolution to instate Aleksandr's younger brother Dmitriyus as the High King, but Dmitriyus was later executed for being suspected of treason, which later caused tension between Zardogu and Volghevsky. From 1699 to 1703, Pytrovech began his infamous purge of outspoken supporters of the former monarchy Zardigen Republic (1710-1714) In 1707, a large group of radical republicans, consisting of former members of the Chamber, high-ranking officers, and commoners, began revolting in Veldefarg in a period known as the September Revolution. The group was led by Alfred Njeümann, a former republican member of the Chamber of Magnates. After the republicans secured the Pytrovech was later seized from his residence near Elbeg and executed in 1710, after an estimated 85,000 deaths for both the republicans and monarchists. Njeümann served as the leader of the National Convention from March of 1710 to July of 1711, and then served as the first democratically elected head-of-state in 1711 when he was elected as the State Chancellor. Njeümann served as the State Chancellor until mid-1714, when several other former members of the Chamber who supported the concept of a monarchy for Zardogu, proposed the Second Veldefarg Accords to the National Convention. The Accords instated the House of Rzhevsky, a Volgev-Zardigen noble house dating back to the mid-1400s under a new, constitutional monarchy. The Accords also established a parliamentary system with the Forstaadeing, led by the Minister-President, a system borrowed from the neighboring Ruhreg Republic. House of Rzhevsky (1714-1853) The House of Rzhevsky reigned from 1714 under Grand Archduchess Viktoriya I to 1853 under Nikolas I. During this timeframe, Zardogu diplomatically regained its lost territory of Schweizeg-Fahnholm in 1734 under Viktoriya I, as well as incorporated an entirely new, autonomous territory of Jørgsten, formerly a loose confederation of Jørgein city-states. The nation also formed the state of Lühemsvarg in 1778, which formerly belonged to Cordeau. In 1784, the city of Njeümannsfarg was founded, named for first State Chancellor and Minister-President Alfred Njeumann, and was declared the new capital in 1789. Modern Zardogu After being revived in 1839 by Duke Cristoffer of Fahnholm, the House of Kåmphaus-Eldegaard merged with the House of Rzhevsky to form the House of Kåmphaus-Eldegard-Rzhevsky under Grand Archduchess Margarete II, when she ascended to the throne in 1853. By this time, the modern borders of Zardogu had been established, as well as most of the Federal States, aside from Nœrstjørd, which was established in 1925. Since the ascension of Margarete II to the throne, Zardogu has continued to experience relative stability and prosperity, maintaining consistent economic growth, which allowed the nation to develop into one of the wealthiest, most advanced, and most economically secure nations in Enshelm in the 22nd century. Geography Zardogu is located in Northeastern Enshelm, and is bordered by Ruhreg to the West, Cordeau to the South, and Volghevsky to the East, as well as the Northern Sea to the North. Zardogu comprises a total of 939,432 square kilometres of land. With a total population of 139,536,730 in 2116, the population density is 148.53 persons/sq. km. The physical geography of Zardogu differs between regions, with the highest elevations being found in Hejbeurgståd among the Freyger mountain range, and the lowest elevations in the lowlands of Ustfalden, Eastern Voloskie-Korzakholm, Southern Neu Mattenheis, and Eastern Jószeim & Margaretrüm, as well as Southeastern Lower Hœldreg. The southern half of Zardogu is generally characterized by flatlands and/or plateaus, with the Northern half characterized by a landscape of rolling hills and mountain ranges such as the Freyger. Forested areas can be found primarily in the Southwestern state of Lühemsvarg, but also in Eld Mattenheis and Northeastern Upper Hœldreg, whereas most plains can be found in more rural states such as Jószeim & Margaretrüm and Western Neu Mattenheis. Climate Zardogu has a generally temperate climate with moderate variation by region. Zardogu has an average yearly precipitation of 696.0 mm annually, which is evenly distributed across the county. The highest recorded temperature in Zardogu is just below 40°C, occurring in Jószeim & Margaretrüm, and the lowest recorded temperature was just below -27°C, occurring in Hejbeurgståd. Politics Zardogu is a federal semi-presidential and representative democracy under a constitutional monarchy. The government operates in accordance with the Constitution of 1878, which is amended from the previous Constitution of 1820 and Constitution of 1715. The constitution specifies the Head-of-State as the Grand Archduke/Archduchess belonging to the House of Kåmphaus-Eldegaard-Rzhevsky, with the office being almost exclusively for ceremonial purposes. The constitution specifies the Minister-President as the official Head-of-Government, with the other executive office being that of the State Chancellor. Historically, the State Chancellor was appointed by the Radzfœrd (Federal Diet) to 'generate dialogue and promote cooperation between the Forstaadeing and the Monarch', but has effectively adopted different responsibilities and prerogatives, overall gaining more executive power since the adoption of the Constitution, leading Zardogu to be classified as 'semi-presidential'. The State Chancellor was formerly appointed by the Forstaadeing, but since the 1940 Amendment to the Constitution, the State Chancellor has been elected via popular vote using a two-round system to serve a term of 5 years. The Fordestaadeing (Federal Assembly) is the national legislature of Zardogu, and is divided between the upper house, being the Radzfœrd (Federal Diet), and the lower house, being the Kansforteing (National Assembly), also spelled Kanzforteing. The Forstaadeing is comprised of 650 members in total, with 500 members belonging to the Kansforteing, and 150 belonging to the Radzfœrd. Members of the Kanzforteing are elected via constituencies using a mixed-member proportional system to serve terms of 3 years, whereas members of the Radzfœrd are elected to represent Federal States, serving terms of 5 years. Amendments to the Constitution mandate a three-fifths majority within both houses of the Forstaadeing with approval from the State Chancellor, and two-thirds majority without. Currently, the Grand Archduchess is Viktoriya III, the State Chancellor is Mors Olmsfen, and the Minister-President is Mikkel Kruszensky. Constituent States Zardogu is divided into fourteen constituent states, Fordestådze (Federal States), all with differing degrees of autonomy. Generally, all states have at least some autonomy in lawmaking and are generally considered self-governing, with all fourteen states having their own independent legislatures, and eight of the fourteen (Upper Hœldreg, Lower Hœldreg, Neu Mattenheis, Jørgsten, Voloskie-Korzakholm, Schweizeg-Fahnholm, and Lühemsvarg) having their own constitution. Each state is divided into Departments (Dempartze), which are divided into municipalities and communes (Kommunze). Each state also is divided into constituencies, which elect members to the Kansforteing. Each state elects members to the Radzfœrd according to the state's population, with the exception of the city-states of Njeümannsfarg and Benedikstagg. Forstaadeing Currently, the Forstaadeing is dominated by the social-democratic Democratic Left (''Zard. ''Venst Demokratiskë) and the social-liberal Progressive Forum (Foruem Progreszen), who form a governing coalition in the Forstaadeing with 424 of the 650 seats. The leader of the opposition is the conservative-liberal Zardigen Liberal-Republicans (Republesk-Libereg Zardgey). Other opposition groups include the conservative People's Party for Freedom (Leutpartest fer Freejhet) and the centrist Civic Democrats (Fergedemokrats).